Abstract

Sodium arsenite ($NaAsO_2$) was injected to the rat subcutaneously for the study of the acute toxicity of arsenite on hepatocytes, and the effects of pretreatment of arsenite and glutathione on the lethalty of the arsenite treated rats. Arsenite treated rat hepatocytes showed vacuolated cytosol and shrinked nuclear and expanded perinuclear space and cytoplasmic membrane whirl. Rats pretreated with BSO (L-Buthionine-SR-Sulfoximine), less survived than arsenite treated alone. It means that glutathione acts as a protecting agent against the arsenite. Subcutaneous sublethal dose (10mg/kg body weight) treatment was showed the protecting activity to lethality of lethal dose (15mg/kg body weight) treated rat. 10mg/kg body weight sublethal dose effects appeared in six hours intervals of between treatments.

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